The Winchester Drive-In Theatre kicked off its 55th season on March 23 and is the only drive-in still operating in Oklahoma City.
The Winchester plays a wide range of feature length films on the weekends accompanied by popcorn, community and open sky. For the past 55 years this company has been a staple of the Oklahoma City area.
The Winchester opened on July 3, 1968 by Farris, George, and Lindy Shanbour. Jeff Massad had been working with the family at the drive-in since the early '90s, and bought the theatre in 2018. Despite the change in ownership, the Winchester continues to be a family owned and operated business.
Moviegoers are first met by the classic neon sign featuring Chester the cowboy, raising his hand in greeting to the cars lining up at the ticket booth. Although the upkeep of this classic sign can be challenging at times due to neon’s fragile nature, Massad is determined to keep it a part of the Winchester.
“It's (neon) beautiful, it is magical, it’s different than LEDs,” Massad said. “I think we could do LED and most people would not notice. I think that people who love neon would have a cardiac because it would be totally different.”
The Winchester’s lot fits about 450 cars, placing trucks and other large vehicles at the back and cars toward the front. Instead of the old method of picking up a radio for each individual car, audience members are now able to tune into the movie's sound at 100.9 FM.
In the age of streaming, many may be hesitant to leave the comfort of their homes for movie nights. However, the carefully articulated nostalgia and genuine community the Winchester offers is enough to entice even the harshest critics.
“We believe that going to the drive-in is more of an event than just an entertainment venue,” Massad said.
As the sun sets behind the giant screen and cars get nestled into their spots, there is a suspension of time in the air. Patrons line up for freshly made hot dogs, popcorn and pizza at the concession stand while kids are able to run off some energy playing in the lot before the movie starts.
“It gets dark, and you’ve got this huge screen and you have the stars above you and sunsets that are amazing, everyone in Oklahoma knows that we have great sunsets,” Massad said. “It’s quite beautiful, and then the movie starts and it’s exciting, it’s different, it’s not like anything else.”
The Winchester’s gates open at 6:45 p.m. with the first film starting at 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays usually present double features with the second film beginning at 11 p.m.
More information on upcoming shows and events can be found on the Winchester’s website and Instagram.
This story was edited by Silas Bales and Emma Blakley. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
